Police say man admits to defecating in Heights yards, but is set free

Updated 4:40 pm, Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A man whose defecating antics in the Houston Heights captivated the world last week has been caught, according to Sgt. J.C. Mosier with the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office.

The man had been caught on surveillance cameras defecating on the lawns of Heights-area homes.

According to Mosier, Houston police caught the man urinating in a public area in the 2400 block of Fulton on Saturday at around 12:45 p.m.

He was later interviewed by Harris County officials familiar with the case and he came clean about his other exploits.

"He admitted to that he was the one doing the defecating, from what I have been told," Mosier said Tuesday. Mosier says that the Hispanic male, 53, has mental health issues. The man told officials that he will not be defecating in yards again.

Mosier said that by his estimation, the man defecated in the yards of close to eight homes in the Heights. Mosier also said he's had people from the New York Times and CBS News calling him asking for details on the case.

CNN's Anderson Cooper even featured the story on his nightly news show. The story got a big bump in exposure after it was picked up on the Drudge Report website. Gawker and the Huffington Post also had their go at the story.

Mosier said his department will not file charges on the man, due to his mental health issues. The man is no longer in police custody, according to Mosier.